Psycho-Babble Social Thread 12915

Hmfff... Like to stop, should stop, but I don't stop... I need to quit smoking so often, it evolved from casual social smoking when I was drinking to smoking all during the week... I feel like garbage for this... always buying cigarettes... this is a year or so after I quit entirely and convinced a few friends to quit as well... Citing health and believe it or not political reasons...

I've worked it down to now, 1 pack on wednessday when I dj, one pack one the weekend when I dj... no more... I rationalized it last night because i was able to scrape some change out of the glovebox and only spend about 89 cents on the pack that i didnt allready have in cash form...

Alcohol, thats even worse, cant seem to stop drinking every day... I dont get smashed smashed, just a few beers... 3-4 5 maybe... couple that w/ xanax, and sleeping pills and its not good... not to mention that its contraindicated with every single medicine that i take... But i cant seem to stop drinking... I dont guess im an alcoholic because i have only rarely wound up passed out in strange places (true story, ask those that know)... but I still feel like I need to drink every night... I'm thinking of switching to just a nice cup of warm tea... God Damn it! grocery store runs out of english breakfast tea when you want it the most...

What the hell, i feel like a drunk, even tonight i'll be going out so I know i'll be drinking... I think I drink every single day... its inescapable for me...

Anyone out there Juliedealer et al!!? i'm talking to you!! how do you do it, how do you kick the habit, just for a day???

In reply to The Fury of Alcohol and Cigarettes..., posted by kid_A on October 24, 2001, at 9:31:25

Heh, kid:

First of all, I wonder why we all tend to think you're in the UK...

This is something I'm going through, and have before, so I really appreciate your post.

More than anything, it seems like you're in situations that entice you to drink. At least that's how it would be for me. If I were going out a lot, still, it would be very difficult for me not to drink. It's the atmosphere. Smoking as well. You might have to pull back on going out, to be honest. Then, you could stay home, watch a movie, and not drink for a night.

My plan is to finally talk to my pdoc about it and see if we can figure it out. I thought I wouldn't want to drink at all once I had some meds, but that's not the case.

My guess is for me, that I have some anxiety that hasn't been addressed, and that it's habit.

The way I stop drinking for awhile, which is what I'm doing now, is I cut back a few drinks each day until I'm not drinking. So it could take a couple of days, but I find this process works best for me.

Then I sleep. If I can, I sleep as much as I want to. If I can't sleep, I take a sleeping aid.

Then I start on a mild health kick to occupy my mind - note "mild", nothing exreme that could be discouraging. I drink Detox tea, lots more water, eat more vegies, etc. I also try to focus on myself and do yoga, spend time pampering a little.

After about two days of not drinking, I don't crave it at all. Then the weekend comes. And hubby says, "Let's go get a beer". And my mind jumps at it! Then it gets hard, because I like sitting in bars and watching people. I like trying different drinks and being "one of them."

But, I have found, that if I go a month, I feel a lot better. I then start really moderately. The trick is, I have to learn how to stay that way. Eventually, with manic episodes and anxiety, I end up drinking too much again. (I don't drink every day, but I'll drink too much at one sitting).

O.K., this is long.

Smoking - I just started again. Hadn't smoked since college. I never smoked much, and now most days only smoke about 2-3 cigs. It actually makes my brain feel better - it relaxes it. Weird, I know.

Your smoking really sounds situational. I would smoke more now, too, if I were out every night.

Personally, I would pick one for now and concentrate on it. I would probably pick alcohol, but then that's harder for me to kick. Having the Option to have a cig when I crave a beer, is very helpful for me. I don't worry about it lasting forever - I'm sure it won't. I'm just dealing with the now.

In reply to The Fury of Alcohol and Cigarettes..., posted by kid_A on October 24, 2001, at 9:31:25

Kid- you're part way there already. Just asking yourself the questions you pose here says you want something different for yourself. What works or doesn't work for you is unique to you. What works for me, may not be right for you. But I did ask myself the same questions you are. I'm a cold turkey kind of guy. I can always quit something, but I am always prone to relapses. I guess that makes me human huh? I have not come to terms with a long term objective re: alcohol, but I don't need it right now. Today, without a drink will do, thank you. If I set my goal as never drinking for the rest of my life, that's just a little bit too high for me.

In reply to The Fury of Alcohol and Cigarettes..., posted by kid_A on October 24, 2001, at 9:31:25

... But i cant seem to stop drinking... I dont guess im an alcoholic because i have only rarely wound up passed out in strange places (true story, ask those that know)... but I still feel like I need to drink every night... I'm thinking of switching to just a nice cup of warm tea...

> >Might want to monitor your alcohol intake. Passing out doesn't make you an alcoholic. Why you drink, not necessarily how much, is a better indicator of a potential problem.You might ask yourself..Do I like the alcohol or do I have, or am I developing, the 'ism'. It's the ism that screws us.